Russia ready to mediate in East Med dispute

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that Moscow is concerned about the tension in the East Mediterranean and expressed its willingness to mediate, Russian news agency Tass reported.

Lavrov said: “We consider any actions that are fraught with a further increase in the potential for conflict to be unacceptable.”

“We have repeatedly urged the leaderships of the countries in the region to show political foresight, resolve disputes exclusively by peaceful means and within the legal framework.

“It is better to resolve contradictions at the negotiating table rather than aggravate them with public rhetorical duels.”

The Russian diplomat said he was certain that both Nicosia and Ankara have the political will “to prevent further destabilisation” of the situation in the region.

“There is a universal platform for effectively resolving controversial issues,” he said, naming the United Nations. “We are ready to help build good-neighbourliness between the Republic of Cyprus and the Republic of Turkey, but, of course, only if both sides ask us to do so.”

READ: Turkey’s Erdogan says East Med is test of EU’s sincerity

He reiterated that Russia is committed to “a comprehensive, lasting, just and viable solution” to this problem on the basis of existing UN Security Council resolutions.

Turkey and Greece are at odds over the demarcation of sea borders in the Mediterranean and the right to explore hydrocarbon resources there.

Late last week, head of the Turkish National Movement Party Devlet Bahceli declared that war with Greece is “just a matter of time”.